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The Maharashtra government will order a probe and truth will come out, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said today when asked about allegations of bitcoin fraud against his cousin and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. "An inquiry will be done and the truth will come in front of the people," Mr Pawar, who is contesting the Assembly polls from Baramati, said this morning.
"Whatever audio clip is being shown, I just know that I have worked with both of them. One of them is my sister and the other is someone with whom I have worked a lot. The audio clip has their voices, I can figure out from their tone. An inquiry will be done and everything will be clear," he added.
The remarks play out against the rivalry between the two camps of NCP -- one led by veteran politician and party founder Sharad Pawar and Ms Sule and the other by Ajit Pawar. An Ajit Pawar-led mutiny split the NCP in 2023, following which the junior Pawar joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state. This election is also a fight between two factions of NCP to prove who has the people's support.
What Are The Allegations
Ravindranath Patil, a retired IPS officer, has accused Ms Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole of being involved in a fraud involving cryptocurrency dating back to 2018. These funds, he has alleged, have been used in the assembly election campaign.
The BJP latched on to the retired officer's remark and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Ms Sule and Mr Patole of using illegal bitcoin transactions to influence election results.
"An accused dealer contacts a former police officer, who has been jailed previously, and tells him that he (the dealer) wants to conduct bitcoin transactions in cash. The officer declines the request. However, the dealer tries to convince him, claiming that a few 'big people' are involved, allegedly naming Nana Patole and Supriya Sule. When the officer expresses doubt, the dealer sends him the audio clips," Mr Trivedi said in a press meet yesterday.
"According to the dealer's claims, the audio clips mention the need for money for elections. We now have five questions for the Congress Party: first, are you involved in bitcoin transactions? second, are you in contact with individuals named Gaurav Gupta or Mehta? third, are the chats in question those of your leaders? fourth, is the audio in the clips authentic? fifth, who are the 'big people' referred to?" Mr Pawar added.
What Has Supriya Sule Said
Ms Sule has trashed the allegations and challenged the BJP to a debate on the issue. "I deny all the allegations levelled against me by Sudhanshu Trivedi. All this is conjecture and innuendo, and I am ready for a debate with any representative of the BJP at a time and date of their choice, in a public forum," she posted on X.
She has said it is appalling that Mr Trivedi made "such baseless" allegations. "...yet not surprising as it's a clear case of spreading false information, the night before elections. My lawyer will be issuing a criminal and civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making outrightly false allegations with an intent to deceive the public at large," Ms Sule has said. This morning, the NCP (SP) leader said she has sent a criminal defamation to Mr Trivedi. "He has asked me five questions. I am ready to respond wherever he wants, whenever he wants. These are all lies."
Asked about Ajit Pawar's charge that the voice on a viral audio clip is hers, Ms Sule replied with a smile, "He is Ajit Pawar, he can say anything. Rama Krishna Hari."
The five-time MP has also filed a complaint with the Election Commission and the Cyber Cell in Pune.
Ms Sule's father and NCP founder Sharad Pawar said, "...The person who made the allegations was in jail for several months. Taking that person along and making false allegations, only BJP can do this."
Mr Patole, too, trashed the allegations and alleged a political conspiracy by the BJP. "We will file a complaint," he said.